In the last few posts, we’ve seen that an effective mercy ministry not only requires compassion, but it also requires responsibility. Today, we’ll explore some guidelines by which to operate. Just as Paul gave Timothy guidelines by which to operate, we too should have guidelines by which we operate. It’s not ungodly or uncompassionate. Instead, it’s…
Last time, I laid out the idea that we have to be compassionate in order to have an effective mercy ministry. While it’s important for us to be compassionate, compassion left unchecked can, at times, do more harm than good. You see, meeting someone’s immediate need is not bad, and in reality a lot of times…
As a pastor, I often interact with those looking to the church to provide them with assistance. Which means I have often found myself having to make a decision on how the church should respond to their need. I am sure you have also faced similar situations. Maybe not from a pastoral perspective. But I know…
If we are going to live in a certain way as the church, then we need to know what the church is. So: What is the church? One popular belief is that the church is a building. Even though that belief is false, the building in which you attend church is not the house of…
I understand that reading the Bible can be a difficult and intimidating endeavor, so let me give you some tips to help you get started. (1) Get a Translation You Can Read I know some of you grew up reading the King James Version and the Early Modern English doesn’t bother you, but I also know…
I have talked about prayer in my last two posts, specifically for whom we should pray and what it takes for us to be able to pray for all people. If you haven’t read those two posts, I encourage you to do so. Today I’m going to end the series by providing motivation to pray. Why Should We Pray…
In my last post, I explored who should receive our prayers. Ultimately, we landed on the idea that we should pray for all peoples. No one, including our enemies, should be left out. We are to pray for all peoples regardless of how they treat us. I don’t know about you, but for me, praying for…
Prayer is something all Christians are called to do. We pray for a lot of different people, but have you ever thought about who should receive our prayers? Paul, writing to Timothy, answers that question for us. Let’s see what he has to say. We Are to Pray for All People’s At the end of…
Work, it’s something we do a lot of. I am not sure if you have ever figured it up, but on a 40 hour work week, you will spend over 2,000 hours a year working. Over 30 years that amounts to roughly 62,000 hours or 2,600 straight days at work. I think it is safe to say that…
Work, it’s something we do a lot of. I am not sure if you have ever figured it up, but on a 40 hour work week, you will spend over 2,000 hours a year working. Over 30 years that amounts to roughly 62,000 hours or 2,600 straight days at work. I think it is safe to say that…
The Bible calls husbands to love their wives self-sacrificially. In Colossians 3:19 the apostle Paul writes, “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.” (Col 3:19) And again in Ephesians 5, comparing a husband’s love to Jesus’ love of the church, Paul says: “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves…
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” (Col 2:6a) Continually walking with Jesus is easier said than done. Maybe we have gotten out of the habit, found another walking partner or we are just not feeling it. Whatever it may be, Paul knows it can happen, which is why he,…
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” (Col 2:6a) Continually walking with Jesus is easier said than done. Maybe we have gotten out of the habit, found another walking partner or we are just not feeling it. Whatever it may be, Paul knows it can happen, which is why he,…
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” (Col 2:6a) My wife and I like to take walks together, which has been somewhat hard for us to do since the boys came along. But when the weather is nice and the boys are cooperating, we take the opportunity to take a…
Evidence matters. It matters in research papers, in the courtroom, on the news, and in churches. Evidence matters because it reveals what we know, what we’ve done, or who we are. In this series, I am focusing in on that last one – who we are – in an effort to expound on the evidence of…
Evidence matters. It matters in research papers, in the courtroom, on the news, and in churches. Evidence matters because it reveals what we know, what we’ve done, or who we are. In this series, I am focusing in on that last one – who we are – in an effort to expound on the evidence of…
Evidence matters. It matters in research papers, in the courtroom, on the news, and in churches. Evidence matters because it reveals what we know, what we’ve done, or who we are. In this series, I am focusing in on that last one – who we are – in an effort to expound on the evidence of…
When I was in seminary, almost every class I took required me to write a research paper, which meant that over a two and half year period, I wrote a lot of research papers. As I soon learned, there is a certain learning curve when it comes to writing a good research paper. I remember, at…
In my last post, we learned that we can worship the Lord daily by living according to His Word. Doing that, however, takes us sacrificing our will and desires for God’s. Sacrifice is where we run into a problem because as my father-in-law likes to say, “Living sacrifices have a habit of crawling off the altar”. How…
If there is one thing we all share in common, it is that we all make New Year’s resolutions. We make these resolutions as a way to motivate ourselves to start working out, eating better, spending more time with family, take a vacation, read a book or whatever else you may come up with. Many of us…
Christians are in a battle with the world. A battle that rages continually as we are confronted with promises of pleasure, joy, and satisfaction at every turn. These messages are often subtle, chipping away at our defenses little by little. A billboard on our commute to work, prompting us to book a bliss filled spur…
Why aren’t Christians growing? More specifically, why do Christians become stagnant in Christ-like growth? What Occurs in Salvation? If we think about some of what occurs in salvation, this question becomes even more urgent. When we come to Christ, we are: Delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Christ, releasing us from…
Yesterday was the Lord’s Day, the day we gather as a church in worship. As a pastor, I always look forward to Sundays. Not only do I get to preach, but I also have the opportunity to praise God alongside others, and watch how the Lord will use our fellowship for His glory. As Christians,…
Christian persecution is not something new to us in the 21st Century. Throughout church history, believers have suffered persecution. “They have been beaten, ridiculed, defrocked, and defamed. They have suffered poverty, isolation, betrayal, and disgrace. They have been hounded, harassed, and murdered” [1]. Persecution Should Not Surprise Us Persecution should come as no surprise to…
This past Sunday, our church ordained three additional men to the office of Deacon. The service, and time afterward, was filled with an air of celebration for what the Lord is doing in our church. The sanctuary was packed and fellowship hall was full of home cooked meals and dessert (we’re Baptist). While last Sunday was…
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2) Called to An Upward Gaze In these verses, Paul calls Christians…
Every Wednesday, our church hosts a prayer meeting and Bible Study. During the Bible study portion, I usually throw out a question for discussion. This week the question had to do with our daily devotionals. Here is what we came up with as a group. 10 Ways to Get More Out of Your Daily Devotions (1) Do Them –…
Every Friday morning at 6:30am for the last two years I have gathered with a group of men at IHOP for breakfast and Bible study. The Plan – One Chapter When we get together, our plan is to cover one chapter in God’s Word. As we cover that chapter, we work to understand what it…
We all know we should pray regularly, but we often don’t. There are numerous reasons for why we don’t pray on a regular basis. Why We Don’t Pray Life gets busy — We haven’t set aside the time, and a prayerless morning turns into a prayerless week. We think God doesn’t have the time — Our needs…